Not Sole -- 5 cracked decks, a speed sendor, a belt, and a power button in 3 years before the main board went. The last two decks went <3 months each, despite more than adequate lubing. To Sole's credit, none of these repairs cost me a dime even though the last deck was out of warranty. This was a $1000 F63 model.

Not Nordic Track -- One cracked deck (no biggie, probably 1500-2000 miles on it) but went through 5-6 consoles that never went more than 6 weeks. 13-14 months into ownership, machine will no longer tolerate >8 miles without starting to cut down the speed; seems to heat up and get too much friction somewhere. Replaced motor under warranty, still not fixed. But after replacing motor incline will not calibrate -- just got new sensors to try to fix THAT issue. Machine still will not hold speed and I need to call them back to try and escalate the issue beyond sending me parts and hoping to fix the issue. This was a 1500 Commercial model.

My advice would be to either a) save up a bit more to get a Landice, b) find a used Landice or similar quality $3000-$4000 machine, or c) spring for the extended warranty (I did on the Nordic Track). I'm not heavy (150-155 lbs) so I shouldn't be abusing these machines other than the fact that I do indeed run on them 3-4X per week on average, 8.6-10mph with tempos and intervals 11-12mph.

Your price range will probably get you an OK machine for occasional to moderate use.

"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

Look at something used. Landice is great, but you can't find many for resale. I looked at a bunch of models including True, Precor , and Life fitness. I found a Lifefitness T-7 with 1000 miles for $1000 (new was around 4K to 5K).

If you have the room, you can also get a rebuilt Life Fitness model that is refurbished from a club, such as the T95.

There are trade offs of course. A new Landice has a great warranty, but you have to be near a dealer. The club models can be beaten up, so you need to be able to evaluate the refurb job, as well as have a 220V outlet.

Besides the price, The T-7 I bought is relatively simple in design, has easy to find parts, and I found a local person who fixes them if I need it worked on, and who is reasonable in cost. Most treadmills have a computer that you can look back on the history of miles, speed, etc.

If you go this route, you have to bring your running shoes and try it out. I'm pretty slow, but I still tested it at my upper limit to check for slippage, and ran it to the motors limit to hear how the motor and rollers sounded and belt tracked.

There are a lot of local resellers out there. The person I bought mine from had about 20 treadmills to look at. A few models from small gyms, some demo models, and others from people who wanted to get in shape, but ended using it as a coat hangar. No Landace, as I think this brand is bought by "true runners" that get the full benefit of their purchase.

FWIW, I've been happy with my Vision (model??) treadmill for about 7 years. I've tightened the belt once, my favorite feature is that I can set a distance I want to cover and watch the mileage count up rather than always watching the time count down (using the pacer program, this may not be available on the entry level machine which starts around $1500). I've run anywhere from 10-35 miles a week, largely on the treadmill because I hate the cold and the dark (oh, and the rain). The new ones look different from mine, though, not sure what's changed.

I love my Precor. Have had it about 1-2 years. Can't remember if I have the 9.23 or 9.27 but in either case I think the machine is very similar. Has an old school look and feel without lots of flashing lights, which I like and I think makes it different than a lot of other treadmills. There is a length difference in these 2 treadmills so if you are taller you might want the longer one. Very sturdy and reliable so far.

Has an old school look and feel without lots of flashing lights, which I like and I think makes it different than a lot of other treadmills.

This is a great comment...when I was treadmill shopping 2 yrs ago, it seemed that all new treadmills look retro. Seriously, who designs these consoles? Doesn't seem to matter how much you spend, they are all tacky and lame. My guess is the designs are all copied directly off of a poorly overdubbed VHS tape called "Modern Treadmill Design in the 1980s" . maybe if Steve Jobs had been a runner...

fwiw I got a True and am very happy with it, but it was closer to $3k iirc. big, solid deck, and very stable frame. only complaint is that its speed calibration is off a little, but no big deal. and yes, the console is quite lame.

Landice. I've had mine for around 3 years, close to 4, it's been moved all over, and it's one of the best things I've ever invested in. It cost us around 3500 I think, but has been worth every penny, and more. Still feels amazingly solid and I've trained for 4 marathons on it. I don't even know how many miles that is, but it seems like I'm on there a lot.

I know you can find landice treadmills used too, so if you don't have enough for one new, look used.

Just to be fair to NordicTrack -- I am on the phone with them now as the latest parts replacement only led to another problem (I think the main board is toast, that may have been the problem all along). I called customer service and after reviewing all the issues this machine has had, their first response was to offer to declare this a lemon and send me a new machine.

"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

Mysecondnewname

posted: 7/10/2013 at 7:15 PM

I would echo the praise of Landice. They are a company that builds great stuff, but actually stands behind their products as well with a real lifetime warranty.

Case in point: My L7's motor finally started making weird noises after over 7,000 miles. Landice not only replaced the entire motor, but the springs, rollers, and belt after they were found to be worn out as well. This cost me nothing but the cost of installation. I now have a practically new treadmill, making the initial investment an incredibly good deal.